Happy Belated July 4th

    Happy Belated July 4th. We had a wonderful time with the kids yesterday. We grilled out and had a great picnic lunch. We ate inside because it was very hot and muggy outside.
We celebrate our country's independence and that led me to the independence we all seek from the moment we are born.
If you have children you see it throughout their life. I don't know about you, but as a mom I didn't like being needed less and less in their life.  At the toddler stage it was, "Me do, Mom. Me do."

As a preteen you child doesn't want to be seen with you in front of their friends. They'd walk ahead of you and never, ever hug or kiss them in front of friends either!

Teenagers fight for that independence when they assure us that they can do something like drive and be okay with it. I loved when they could drive, I could send them on errands. That was okay for a while, but grew old, fast.

I used to tell my teenagers that my role was to embarrass them our in public when I could. LOL  I didn't do it but they knew I could and would.

Even as they live their life outside of our house, showing us their independence, they will call or text us with questions, requests for help and reassurance.  They may be living somewhere else, but the ties that bind us are strong. Being independent is a good thing. I'm so glad it develops slowly so I had time to adjust to it a bit at a time.
                                                   
Yesterday the kids swam and enjoyed the pool. DH and I sat in the air conditioning. The porch even with the fan wasn't conducive for sitting out there.

Picnic foods were bountiful with everyone bringing something.

July 1st  we picked our first tomatoes of the season.  There's nothing like fresh, off the vine, tomatoes.

With all of the baseball games this summer I finished another afghan that will be going to Warm Up America in January. Pat Catan's, a neighborhood craft store sponsors it every year in January.

 The first card was my inspiration for this card. I used the new Stampin' Up Tufted embossing folder then added Liquid Pearls to the centers. I love how it looks.

Verse of the Day: Colossians 3:23-24

I often struggled with this when I was working. It was hard not to let emotions and feelings get in the way. Whether it was an administrator, parent or colleague, the struggle was the same.

This is one of my favorite versions of this song. Enjoy.

Blessing of the Day: Spending time with kids and having a cookout.  Spending time with Tim after kids left. Feeling truly blessed today.

Thanks for stopping by.
Blessings,